Thank You For Phoning
by Laura Schiller
Summary: Tag to "Kill The Moon". Twelve finds it easier to be honest via answering machine.
1. Chapter 1

Thank You For Phoning

By Laura Schiller

Based on: Doctor Who

Copyright: BBC

"_Clara? It's the Doctor. I just … I just called to say … oh, hang it, Clara, even when you're no' there, you're still drivin' me bananas. I know ye want me to apologize, but I still don't see why I should. _I'm_ not the one who threatened violence. Being short and female doesna give ye the right to slap people, y'know. What would yer students think?_

"_Och, I know. Avoiding the subject. It's a habit of mine, as ye may have noticed. _

"_Question: did you, or did you not,_ insist_ on an equal share of responsibility when we first met? Quite forcefully, I might add. Ye sent me off for coffee while you hacked the Great Intelligence. Ye jumped into my timestream against my express order. Not that I'm ungrateful of course … saved my lives and all … but that's beside the point. You're a control freak, Clara, face it. Takes one to know one. I was trying to respect that._

"_Ah, well … maybe not. Maybe … truth is, I trust you. Entirely. Which is more than I sometimes trust myself._

"_See, I had a similar choice to make once. An innocent life – a star whale – versus the future of humanity. I came this close to killing it. Finger on the button. I was just aboot ready to give up my name a second time, when Amelia stopped me. Yes, that Amelia. The one I mentioned when … Bow Tie's first face, y'know. She saved the whale, just as you and Courtney saved the moon chick. Without you ladies around, I'm dangerously liable to make the wrong decision._

"_Like Gallifrey, I suppose. It took two younger selves - and the full impact of those disappointed brown eyes of yours – to change my mind then. You made the right decision on your own._

"_On your own … _

"_Clara, I … listen, ye've got to understand! I swear by my fourteen lives I didn't know the hatching would be harmless. That's why I had to leave ye – to look ahead. If the creature had been dangerous, or the shell hit the earth, my Old Girl would've picked you three up, towed the moon away to a safe distance – that's nothing, we towed the Earth once – and made absolutely certain you were safe. And if ye call that patronizing, so be it. I don't care._

"_I'm not askin' to come back, mind. I'm fine on my own, and so are you, no doubt. You've got your soldier – ahem, Mr. Daniel Pink now. Even when – if I did come back, ye'd only roll your eyes and whinge about me interruptin' yer precious plans. That's all ye seem to do lately, every time I show up. The universe is not a chore, Clara. And I'm not some senile old uncle ye volunteer to sit with at the hospital._

"_I miss the days when the TARDIS doors opening made ye smile._

"_So I've been thinking: remember how you've always wanted to take the Orient Express? How about one that travels in space? First-class, early twentieth-century comfort with the universe outside yer window! Next Wednesday, how about it? Just a suggestion. You're welcome to sulk for a little while longer if it makes ye feel better. Or ye can come and have an adventure. What's it to be?_

"_So. See you when I see you, Clara. And, er, in case I forgot … _

"_I'm sorry."_


	2. Chapter 2

"_Doctor, it's me. Are you there?_

"_C'mon, pick up. Pick up, pick up, pick up … _

"_Oh, well. Figures. You're probably out doing something dangerous, aren't you? 'Course you are. _

"_Okay, TARDIS, I'm trusting you. Play this message for him as soon as he gets back. Don't delete it accidentally-on-purpose like you did my guest room, okay? Please. You've read my mind. You know this is important._

"_Doctor – thank you,_ thank you, _for your call. I was this close to calling you first, but my stupid pride got in the way. I'm the one who should apologize after what happened on the moon. Courtney was more mature than I was that day, and she's fifteen._

"_I talked to Danny, and believe it or not, he agrees with you. He wouldn't expect you to kill Hitler either, and if the moon hatching was anything like as important to us humans, it _is _our own responsibility. Was. Will be? Whatever. I was thinking – what if, just as an example, I'd … say … pushed the big red button for you while you were arguing with Sand Shoes and Granddad? You'd have been relieved at the time, but you'd never forgive me later – this alien deciding your species' future for you. So … I think I get it now._

"_I didn't mean to be that clingy little girl who expects you to fix all her problems for her … although, to be fair, that is sort of the impression you make on people. But then, I guess that was the other you, wasn't it? Not this you anymore. You're more a "stabilizers off the bike" type of person – which isn't a bad thing, though. Just … different. _

"_The truth is, though, changes scare me. Terrify me. Ever since my mum died … she was hit by a car, you know. One day she was there, next day she wasn't. It was the books that got me through – she and my dad wrote travel guides together. Maps and lists and schedules and recipes, they make sense to me when nothing else does. But when your map doesn't match the real world anymore, what happens? You get lost. _

"_You don't know where you are. _

"_That's why I need you, Doctor. Unexpected things don't scare me nearly as much when you're around. Like – like a bank heist that turns into a rescue mission. Or a beautiful creature hatching out of the moon. You remind me that change can be wonderful._

"_I miss you._

"_You think I'll roll my eyes at you when you come back? Of course I will. I thought that was just the way we are now – new you, new us. That Scottish attitude of yours practically begs for eye-rolling. It doesn't mean I'm not happy to see you. It doesn't mean I don't want you to come back._

"_Of course I'll board this Orient Space Express with you. I've got this vintage flapper dress that will be perfect for the trip, with pearls and a cloche hat and – oh, right. You don't want to hear about clothes, do you? I've got my bags all packed and ready to go. Danny knows, but he's not coming – even if you invited him, which I know you won't. He says anything that flies makes him sick after the air raids in Afghanistan. He warned me to be careful. _

"_I said I'm always careful. It's you we've got to worry about._

"_See you Wednesday, Doctor. _

"_Oh, and TARDIS? If you lose this message, I_ will _find out."_


End file.
